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How Does Roadside Assistance via Satellite Work? The process of contacting roadside assistance using a satellite connection is similar to making an emergency SOS call. As with Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via Satellite, this will only work when you have no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, which makes sense as you can use those means of communication far more efficiently. After all, Apple has not turned the iPhone 15 into a satellite phone. You won’t be able to place normal calls or send regular text messages via satellite; the antennas packed into the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 allow you to send canned emergency text messages through a dedicated communications network to satellites that are hundreds of miles over your head in low-earth orbit, moving at 16,000 miles per hour. When you think about that, it’s kind of amazing that this works as well as it does. Instead, initiating a roadside assistance call will begin by opening the Messages app and starting a new conversation with “Roadside.” If you’re off the grid with no other coverage, an option to request Roadside Assistance via satellite will appear. Simply tap this and then follow the on-screen instructions, which will help guide your iPhone to connect with a satellite and request help. As with Emergency SOS via Satellite, you’ll be prompted to answer a few questions, but in this case, they’ll be specific to a roadside assistance scenario rather than a more serious emergency. Also, with an iPhone 14 and iOS 16, if you try to call 911 and can’t get a connection, you’ll be offered the option of texting emergency services via satellite. Apple notes that in iOS 17, you’ll be given the choice to contact a roadside assistance provider instead.